1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally relates to a wheel assembly for a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wheel assemblies generally include a knuckle. A wheel hub is rotatably supported by the knuckle. The knuckle is coupled to the vehicle by an upper ball joint and a lower ball joint. The upper ball joint and the lower ball joint are concentric with and aligned along a king pin axis. The upper ball joint and the lower ball joint may be mounted to an upper bracket and a lower bracket respectively, with the upper bracket and the lower bracket mounted to the knuckle by a plurality of fasteners, such as by bolts. Accordingly, the fasteners provide a clamping force to mount the brackets to the knuckle. Additionally, the fasteners transfer a load, i.e., a force, between the knuckle and the upper bracket and the lower bracket. This load is considerable when the wheel assembly is utilized in heavy duty vehicles, such as in commercial off-road use and in military applications.
The knuckle, the upper bracket and the lower bracket are typically manufactured from steel in order to adequately transfer the load between the knuckle and the upper and lower brackets to the fasteners connecting the upper and lower brackets to the knuckle. Having the knuckle, the upper bracket and the lower bracket manufactured from steel increases the weight of the wheel assembly, which increases the overall weight of the vehicle and thereby negatively affects fuel efficiency of the vehicle.